Miss Representation

      Happy Friday! So a club at my school showed an optional viewing of a documentary called Miss Representation, which is about how women are portrayed in the media and how it affects our lives. I always knew that the media portrays most women as either dumb blondes who exist to make babies and put dinner on the table or as evil bitches who nag about everything, but after watching the documentary I saw how much more in-depth it is than I thought. We have been taught things since a very young age about gender stereotypes that we don't even recognize them as sexist; it's just what we perceive as normal, it's how things should be. But it shouldn't.
      Did you know that 1 in 4 women have been or will be in an abusive relationship? Did you know that 78% of 17-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies? Did you know that only 34 women have ever been governors, but 2,319 men have been governors? Did you know that 51% of women are the American population, yet only 17% of Congress is women? This isn't okay! How have humans been around for over a billion years and we're still so delayed in development? The documentary says that all of these statistics are because of the media, where men are taught that if they aren't masculine  (or even violent) or if they show emotion, then they aren't being real "men," and if women don't have big boobs and a tiny waist or act like they're stupid, then they are undesirable to men.
      Women are shown as sex objects in the media every day and we don't blink an eye. You might think I'm overreacting, but I've never been so furious in my life. How have we put up with this for so long? Eating disorders shouldn't exist. Abusive relationships shouldn't exist. Rape shouldn't exist. And yet they do. They are major components of many people's lives, every single day. If I have any male readers: please know that it's okay to show your feelings. Having emotions is what makes humans, humans. And if you ever see anyone being disrespectful to a woman/women as a whole, please take a stand. Getting men on board is half the battle. To the girls: you are beautiful in every way. I know from personal experience that it's so much easier said than done, but loving yourself is the key to happiness. Never go under the knife. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.
      I'd like to share a story with you. When I was around 7 or 8 years old, I have this vivid memory that I was running laps around my backyard. I would run maybe 10 laps, and then run inside and jump on the scale and weigh myself, then go back outside and repeat the process, trying so see if I could lose any weight. At 7 or 8 years old, I was already taught to worry about my weight. I couldn't have weighed more than 45 pounds and I was already weighing myself on the scale. My mom discovered what I was doing, and I remember being so confused as to why she was yelling at me because I thought I was doing something good, something healthy. Later, in third grade I decided I was going to stop eating lunch, so my mom (who works at my school as the alumni director) had to eat lunch with me. This shouldn't happen, but I can assure you that my story is very tame compared to many other girls and boys who obsess over their physical appearance. I could go on for a lot longer, but I'm getting tired and I have to wake up early tomorrow morning. I strongly encourage everyone to watch the documentary; it is truly life-changing.

Be the change that you want to see in the world.

Carpe Diem,

Brooke